Top Tech Talks Of 2018

2018 shaped up to be a year of transition and inflection, sometimes in the same design. There were new opportunities in automotive, continued difficulties in scaling, and an explosion in AI and machine learning everywhere.

Traffic numbers on stories give a snapshot of the most current trends, but with videos those trends are even more apparent because of the time invested in watching those videos. Here’s where the numbers pointed in each area and which videos topped the list:

Automotive
Self-driving car technology hit the top of the video list. ISO 26262 Drilldown looked at some of the basics required to play in the automotive electronics market. DO-254 takes a look at the safety-critical standard for aerospace and how that crosses over into automotive electronics, while ISO 26262 Statistics drills into the statistical underpinnings of safety standards.

Memory
Memory was a recurring theme this year for a number of reasons, including shortages of DRAM, tradeoffs in high-performance/low-power designs, and a resurgence of issues involving performance and reliability. All of this generated confusion in a market that was relatively quiet for the better part of two decades. Making Sense Of DRAM was the top video. Alongside of that, HBM Vs. GDDR6 compares two different memory options. Also racking up views was a discussion about the tradeoffs between embedded NVM and system-in-package approaches, in MCU Memory Options, as well as one on hw memory architectures are shifting in Data-Driven Design.

System-Level Design
Moore’s Law continues, and so does interest in how far it can be extended. Parasitic Extraction At 5/3nm dives into what to expect with new materials and gate structures such as gate-all-around FETs and vertical nanowire FETs. How to ensure the RTL created by design engineers matches what shows up in an FPGA was explained in this FPGA RTL Checking video. Energy-Efficient AI  looks at how to improve the efficiency of AI operations by focusing on the individual operations, including data transport, computation and memory.

Low-Power High Performance
Along the same lines, Huge Performance Gains Ahead delves into what will drive the next big performance gains after Moore’s Law, from the data center to the edge. Aging Effects talks about how to model aging effects and why the problems are becoming more difficult at advanced nodes. Applying Machine Learning discusses how to use AI, deep learning and machine learning.

Manufacturing & Process
Variation At 10/7nm dives into why variability is a growing challenge at advanced nodes, why middle of line is now one of the big problem areas, and what happens when a via is misaligned due to a small process variation. But 3D transistors aren’t the only option. 22nm Process Technology describes how FD-SOI compares with bulk technologies. And New Roadmap For Electronics looks at what’s changing now that Moore’s Law is slowing, and how packaging is changing as the traditional physical boundaries of electronics begin breaking down

Packaging, Test & Materials
ATE Lab to Fab emerged as the top video in this sector, targeting how to close the gap between the design and test worlds to improve coverage and shorten time to market. The Case For Chiplets looks at what’s behind the momentum for a LEGO-like approach, where the challenges are, and how the cost compares with other approaches. And using DSA With EUV reveals why directed self-assembly still has an important role to play at the most advanced nodes.

FPGAs, AI & Communication
AI is one of the hot buttons for the entire industry, and that was apparent in reader traffic on Inferencing In Hardware, which examines shifting neural network models, how many multiply-accumulates are needed for different applications, and why programmable neural inferencing will be required for years to come. AI Training Chips looks at how to speed up algorithms and improve performance. eFPGA Vs. FPGA Design Methodologies discusses the differences between discrete and embedded FPGAs. 802.11ax: Faster Wireless talks with about the new 802.11ax wireless standard, how it will work with 5G and existing networks, and how to set up an integrated solution to reduce bottlenecks in the home and in the enterprise.

For more videos, check out the full list here.